Whether at the national or local level, Republicans do not govern unless it's to suppress votes or civil rights. They don't do infrastructure, science, education or general public good unless its to defund policies associated with them.
To that end, Republicans in two more states are about to join Mississippi in passing anti-transgender legislation that bans transgender kids from sports programs among other things.
Republicans in Tennessee have passed a bill that requires kids to present proof that they were born with certain genitals before they can participate.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A controversial transgender sports bill requiring students to prove their sex at birth in order to play middle and high school sports is heading to Governor Bill Lee‘s desk to be signed into law. [...]
Governor Bill Lee signaled his support for the legislation saying transgender athletes “will destroy women’s sports.”
The bill has faced heavy criticism that it will likely face costly legal challenges if signed into law. The ACLU has already threatened to sue the state following passage into law.
Meanwhile, Republicans in Arkansas are going a step further than any other state at the moment. They've voted to ban transgender girls from sports programs, but they've also passed a bill that will allow doctors to refuse treatment if it would violate their "moral beliefs" or whatever.
The innocuously named “Medical Ethics and Diversity Act,” also known as Senate Bill 289, states that doctors and other medical providers are “not required to participate in a healthcare service” if doing so would violate their religious or moral beliefs. The legislation was originally voted down in the Public Health, Welfare And Labor Committee of the Arkansas House over fears it was too broad before being passed on the second attempt.
Supporters of the legislation say that SB 289 is necessary to make sure that Christian doctors aren’t forced to perform medical procedures like abortions or gender-affirming surgeries.
If your "moral beliefs" tell you to deny treatment to another human regardless of what they look like or what's between their legs, your beliefs are shit.
Republicans in some other states are also considering legislation that would make it illegal to provide transgender health care to minors and that's even more heinous than any policy outlined above.
Republicans want to trap transgender kids in a box that says that being transgender affords them physical advantages in sports, but they also can't medically transition which would actually nullify any perceived advantage. The overarching, true goal is to prevent as many kids and young adults from becoming their true selves as they can.
I can tell you from experience that the long-term damage this will cause is incalculable. Preventing young people from transitioning does not mean they aren't transgender, it just makes them miserable in their own bodies.
In related news, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem actually refused to sign her state's anti-transgender bill into law even though she told Republicans gathered at CPAC that she was excited to sign it. Noem says she didn't sign it out of legal concerns, but she also wants to turn the issue into a national campaign issue.
(Reuters) - South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem on Monday urged fellow governors, high-profile athletes and everyday citizens nationwide to join an initiative seeking to bar transgender girls and women from participating in female sports.
Noem, a Republican, announced her “Defend Title IX Now” effort three days after coming under fire from both sides of the political aisle for rejecting a bill that would ban students designated as male at birth from women’s and girls’ sports.
The governor, who disappointed conservatives in her party by not signing the bill into law, said she agreed with its sentiment but feared it would not withstand legal challenge.
Republicans are going to make this part of their national platform and it will probably be a litmus test for whoever they nominate for president in 2024.